ASHLEY Grimes' wonderful late chip sealed City's place in the last 16 of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night.

ASHLEY Grimes' wonderful late chip sealed City's place in the last 16 of the FA Youth Cup on Wednesday night.

Grimes scored the winner 60 seconds from the end to earn the Blues a trip to Wolves in the next round.

The home side deserved their victory, but they were given a huge scare by a hard-working Brighton side.

These two sides scored 10 goals between them in reaching the fourth round, but there were few chances early on in a tight cup tie.

City had the territorial advantage until the 21st minute, when the visitors showed the kind of razor-sharp finishing that had seen them score six in the previous round against Woking.

Pounced

Jake Robinson, for 20 minutes a lonely spectator leading the Seagulls' line, pounced on a delightful through ball and held off the cover to slot his shot beyond the exposed Kasper Schmeichel.

The goal fuelled the visitors' confidence, and Robinson had a chance to double the advantage in the 32nd minute, beating the offside trap before curling a shot into the side netting.

City's best responses before the interval both came from Ishmael Miller, but he was wide with an angled shot and then headed just too high from 10 yards.

As the Blues pushed forward, it allowed the swift counter-attacking visitors more attacking scope, and left young Clayton McDonald, brought in as a last-minute replacement for the ill Micah Richards, a little exposed.

Scrappy

A scrappy second half was lit up at its midpoint when the persistent Miller finally fired the Blues level.

The striker's 20-yarder was set up by the quick feet of Kelvin Etuhu but owed much to an error from Brighton keeper Richard Martin, who seemed to have his body behind the shot until it squirmed free.

City enjoyed their best spell after their leveller and pinned Brighton back.

Miller flashed a snap shot just wide, substitute Daniel Sturridge and Miller both had deflected efforts against the bar and Grimes failed to score with a free header from six yards.

But he more than made up for that glaring miss as extra time loomed, taking three men with him on a run into the right side of the box and then producing the perfect chip over Martin.

Even then City could not rest on their laurels, and Schmeichel was forced to make a brave injury-time stop at the feet of Robinson.